bogo-sort

bogo-sort in Technology

algorithm, humour /boh"goh-sort"/ (Or "stupid-sort") The archetypical perversely awful algorithm (as opposed to bubble sort, which is merely the generic *bad* algorithm). Bogo-sort is equivalent to repeatedly throwing a deck of cards in the air, picking them up at random, and then testing whether they are in order. It serves as a sort of canonical example of awfulness. Looking at a program and seeing a dumb algorithm, one might say "Oh, I see, this program uses bogo-sort." Also known as "monkey sort" after the Infinite Monkey Theorem. Compare brute force, Lasherism. An implementation (http://stdout.org/~adam/psort). [Jargon File] (2002-04-07)